The ULTIMATE Story
by cartuneslover17
Summary: How it all began because of one squirrel! How they met! Truth, love, happiness, TOTAL DRAMA, violence, and singing chipmunks! Features shows like TMNT, Family Guy, Total Drama Island, The Simpsons, and more! Did the Squeakquel rock? READ AND REVIEW!
1. Whose Destiny

**_Well, after finishing it on Deviantart, I've taken some time to warm up to the idea of posting this story. For all those who are new to this story, let me tell you that this is MAJOR CROSSOVER! Different cartoons into one!_**

**_May I suggest going to Deviantart and see my work and how my cartoon universe?_**

**_First show featured in this chapter: Skunk Fu!_**

**_Please read and review!  
__**

Lightning flashes and rain poured harder as an elderly panda pushed his way through the thick rapid wind as he held on tightly to a bamboo umbrella that was unsuccessfully shielding him. His fur was wet and the coldness that hit his face stung like a thousand needles. But being the wise and strong master he was, he had to overcome such elements.

He chose a bad night to go out for fresh plums.

Suddenly, he heard a soft but wailing voice of some kind in the distance.

The panda's ears perked up, wondering who on Earth besides him could be out in one of the coldest, rainiest nights of the year? He wiped his face, unsuccessfully ridding the cold, stinging raindrops that soaked his fur and made his body shiver. Following his instincts in case there was danger, the elderly panda traveled towards the noise in deep concern that someone was either lost or gravely hurt. He followed the noise for a few moments, never giving up the need that unfortunate person. He turned around a corner of a nearby boulder that belonged to the rocky mountains beside it.

Behind it, he found a bundle of cloth laying on the cold, wet ground and heard crying coming from it.

Panda, on his best guard, slowly came towards the bundle, hopping it wasn't some trap placed by his enemies. As soon as he got near to it, his eyes widened as soon as he took a careful look.

It was a baby. A baby squirrel.

She was sobbing and wailing as rain continued to pour on her what Panda noticed to be tiny curls of blonde hair, her innocent cries loud despite the booming crashes of thunder. She seemed to be struggling through the bundle that failed to warm her through this terrible weather.

Panda quickly reached down and picked her up, holding her under his umbrella. He gazed into large, nervous brown eyes that had shed tears mixed with the rain.

Panda sighed, grumbling under his breath. "The stork must have dropped you during the thunderstorm..." He tucked her under his chin as he held the umbrella above them.

And the baby seemed to calm down. She did whimper a bit, but it was because of the horrid cold and the frightening thunder that still boomed throughout the night. The elderly panda did as best as he could to shield her, hoping the gods in the heavens would help him do so. Despite the situation, the panda smiled down at the baby squirrel as he continued on.

"But do not worry, young one..." He told her soothingly. "Master Panda has saved you."

Entering a nearby cave that was well-lit by a fire, Panda was greeted by an elderly duck and turtle.

"Thank goodness you're alright," the elderly duck breathed, "you should know better than to go out at this type of weather, Panda!" She shook a fingerly feather at him, giving him a hard look.

Panda chuckled as he placed down his umbrella and held the baby in both his arms as he approached his friends, rinsing water from his soaked fur..

"Ah, Mrs. Duck," he chuckled, "a little rain cannot stop a panda from getting to his plums."

Then the baby began to cry.

"What in blue blazes?" The elderly turtle exclaimed. He peered at the bundle in Master Panda's arms, and his old eyes widened. "Panda, where'd that baby come from?"

Panda sighed as he comforted the baby until she calmed down. "I found her on my way over here," the Panda said quietly as he gently handed her to Mrs. Duck, "the stork dropped her."

"Oh, my," Mrs. Duck gasped as she looked down at the baby with great concern, "on the coldest of nights? She might be sick!" She gently rocked the baby squirrel back and forth, comforting her and using her feathers in hopes of warming her cold fur.

"Thank goodness Baboon or any of his ninja monkeys didn't get to the kid first," the elderly turtle sighed, "who knows what could've happened...Dragon would show no mercy even to the youngest." He growled as he tightened the grip on his walking stick. "I swear, if that beast came out of his pit, I'd-"

"Peace, Master Turtle," Panda told gently him, "it was his decision to go over to the dark side. There is nothing we can do." His voice grew faint as soon as he said those words. He sighed deeply as he closed his eyes for a few moments, remembering full well of the friend he had lost to the dark side...

"Oh, the poor dear," Mrs. Duck crooned as she unwrapped the baby squirrel from her wet bundle of rags and gently placed her on a feather-stuffed pillow a good distance away from the fire but close enough to keep her warm. She turned to Panda. "Shall I tell the others?"

Panda regarded the her for a few moments, then shook his head. "No, no one shall know of her but us three," he said, his voice growing serious., "or else news will spread out upon the mountain and reach dragon..." He sighed. "Fox, Rabbit, and all the other children are in enough danger as is; I don't want to risk another one."

"So you're just going to confine her from the Valley?" Turtle exclaimed, unable to believe what Master Panda was thinking.

"No," the panda responded wisely, "she will have her freedom...but she must not ever be spotted by anyone but us three." He reached down and stroked the slumbering baby squirrel's blonde hair. "Many of us who had been brought here and noticed by Dragon are in great danger. I cannot risk another one..."

"But to hide her..." Mrs. Duck's voice trailed off, shaking her head.

"How interesting..." Turtle said as he peered down at the Squirrel. "She has hair. Blonde hair."

The little female squirrel looked up at the elderly turtle with her huge brown eyes, her tiny ears twitching a bit as she struggled in her warmth, desiring to crawl around and explore the cave she had been brought to. Tiny strands of her blonde hair fell a bit over one eye and she cooed in delight as she reached a tiny hand to grasp some of it playfully.

"We can't all have what this unique girl has," Panda chuckled as he watched the baby entertain herself. "Even young Fox couldn't sport such freely hair."

"Another little girl in the Valley..." Mrs. Duck sighed as she poured herself some herbal tea from a cauldron. She took a long sip before sighing in content. She smiled down at the precious little girl she thought was more beautiful than anything she had ever seen. "I shall train her in the art of fan fan and many other things. She will certainly become a proper lady, I know it." She reached a wing down on the young squirrel's head and smoothed her blonde hair. "And I will certainly teach her how to make herself even more lovely."

"And I shall be teaching her about the art of intelligence," Turtle chuckled as he held his cane proudly. "Rabbit's so stubborn to learn from me...hopefully, this little lady will pay respect to her elder's lab and not blow it up in his face." He winced as he recalled a certain memory involving Rabbit having fun with his chemistry set.

"Then it is settled," Panda said. He smiled down at the baby squirrel, who looked up at him with a smile that melted his heart. "Welcome to the Valley, young Squirrel."

No other name was sure to be given to their new arrival, so the name Squirrel had stuck with the child, considering she was, of course, a squirrel. And a very lovely one, as Mrs. Duck had told Panda and Turtle countless times.  
_

For many years since that night Panda had found and took her under his wing, Squirrel had been trained under the watchful eye of her three masters. They taught her everything she needed to know, from certain fighting techniques to the art of pacifism and inner peace. Her blonde hair was growing into such a healthy gold as well as her tanned brown fur glistened and smoothed as time went on, and her she herself was growing inch by inch.

But that was not the only thing that was growing on young Squirrel as soon as she reached age eight...

"Mrs. Duck?" Called the innocent voice of Squirrel as she approached a nearby tree where Mrs. Duck was cooking a nice stew in a big cauldron. "Am I going to learn how to bake dumplings now?" She hopped up and down in anticipation, her mouth watering at the smell of the delicious stew Mrs. Duck was cooking.

Mrs. Duck chuckled as she concentrated on her stew. "You certainly will," she said. "You're very eager, Squirrel. You certainly will be-" As soon as she looked at Squirrel, she dropped her spoon, beak unhinged and eyes wide. "Goodness gracious!"

"What?" Squirrel asked in confusion.

"Oh, um..." Mrs. Duck stuttered. "You have...um...oh dear." She quickly grabbed a nearby rag hanging from a tree branch. "Put this around you body!" She urged as she handed it to Squirrel.

Squirrel raised an eyebrow at the elderly duck, but she did as she was told and the rag was nicely wrapped around from her neck to her legs.

"Is something wrong?" Squirrel asked as she smoothed her 'clothing'.

"Oh, nothing, dear!" Mrs. Duck assured her quickly. "Just, um...never take off the clothing, alright?" She gave the young girl a nervous smile.

Squirrel nodded, though confused she still was.

"Good girl," Mrs. Duck sighed, "now why don't you run along and practice? I'll have a nice sweet potato pie waiting for you when you finish."

Squirrel's eyes widened and the largest of smiles formed on her lips as soon as the elderly duck mentioned pie. "Thanks, Mrs. Duck!" She exclaimed as she scurried off, her lush tail flying around as much as her growing blonde hair.

As soon as she was gone, Mrs. Duck drew in another sigh of relief, wiping her forehead.

She had realized now that Squirrel had sported something very revealing neither Mrs. Duck nor any other female animal had never had. Something totally unexpected.

Squirrel had gone into womanhood.  
_

Master Turtle and Squirrel stood before a large pile of wood he had hauled from the Valley earlier today. Panda and Mrs. Duck were already teaching her in the art of fighting as well as being a proper lady, but Turtle was teaching her how to use her intelligence.

"See here, Squirrel," the elderly turtle chuckled as he pointed a cane at the pile of wood. "I'm going to teach you how to build transportation. Now see...back in the Valley, we sometimes ride in carts to carry our things. Which reminds me..." He slipped an arm inside his shell and took out what appeared to be a candle. "Hold this, will you? Forgot to put it away from last night."

Squirrel gladly took the candle. She seemed unable to tear her eyes away from it...

"Now I'm going to teach you how to build a cart," Turtle went on and he grabbed some tools on the floor and grabbed a nearby piece of wood. "It doesn't have to perfect, but it needs to be mobile."

"Mobile..." Squirrel repeated, the word rolling off her tongue. She glanced over as Master Turtle began sweating as he placed a piece of wood face up and began to hammer it.

"It can take a couple of hours..." He went on as he nailed the wood with another piece of wood. "But maybe it can-"

"Wait!" Squirrel began.

Turtle looked over to her. "Yes?"

"I don't think that's how it should be..." She said quietly as she walked over to him and took the hammer from his hand. "First off...I think maybe if we start by sanding down the edges to avoid splinters..." She grabbed a nearby chisel and a rock. She cut a bit of the wood off and began scraping at it with the rock. "Considering I'm using a rock, it won't be as splinter-free..."

Turtle watched as she worked, amazed by how much she was learning...and he wasn't even teaching her at the moment!

"And wheels..." Squirrel began as she took another piece of wood. "We cut them at a circular shape...then we put a tiny whole at..." She pondered the right word. "At the exact radius."

"Radius?" Turtle wondered. "Was that in your studies?"

But he didn't have time to think as Squirrel began banging away at the wood with the hammer, gently breaking off piece by piece. Laying before them was a neatly rounded circular object with a whole in the exact middle.

"Got anything to hold this into the crate?" Squirrel asked him as she observed her work. "Like metal?"

"Metal?" Turtle repeated. "No, sorry...we basically just use wood." He handed her a tiny wood stick that could fit through the hole of her wheel into a tight fit.

Squirrel studied it for a for a few moments. "You know...if this was metal, I could somehow stick it right through the wood and that way I can attach it to our cart and it won't just suddenly slip off when were going..." She smiled as she remembered the word. "Mobile."

"Wow..." Turtle observed. "I...I guess I'm teaching you well, kid."  
_

Mrs. Duck smiled as she watched the young squirrel nibble on one of the dumplings she had made earlier. "Now we learn how to make miso soup..." She began.

Squirrel swallowed before looking at Mrs. Duck. "It involves adding greens, right?"

"Yes, of course."

Squirrel pondered a bit. "You know, what would it be if maybe...maybe I added those greens to this broth?" She began as she reached over to a nearby pot and took the lid off and showed Mrs. Duck the steaming broth that was saved for warming the dumplings. "And maybe we could chop some chewy stuff up and add it in here?"

Mrs. Duck raised an eyebrow at her. "And what kind of soup would that be?"

Squirrel pondered again. "I guess we can call it chicken noodle soup."

Mrs. Duck's eyes widened at the name. "An old friend of mine was a chicken!"

Squirrel gasped, realizing what she had just said. "I'm sorry! I just suddenly had this craving for something a little meaty and...!"

"It's quite alright," Mrs. Duck assured her. She gazed back at the broth. "Um, maybe we should decided on something else..."

"Well, I keep thinking that maybe we should mix these dumpling skins with some tomatoes..." Squirrel began as she picked up the crate full of tomatoes. "Of course, I think we should mash them first..."

"Oh, my..." Mrs. Duck muttered as she watched Squirrel set to work. She ducked as Squirrel used a hammer and mashed the tomatoes together, creating an interesting mushy, red sauce of some kind.  
_

Squirrel hummed to herself as she glided from tree to tree, her flying become better than perfect as her short, blonde hair flapped in the wind. It was when she was able to walk and talk had Squirrel realized she was not just a squirrel but a flying squirrel; Master Turtle had done a thorough check on her and realized that her arms held a special yet tiny body part that could help lift her into the air whenever she needed to. Panda had told she had gained such a wonderful gift in flying; he had told her she had to be the very first animal he knew that could fly and didn't have to be of a bird species.

Suddenly, she heard shouting in the distance. Lowering herself to the ground, Squirrel pressed her back against the tree as she slowly turned her head to witness what was going on.

In an open field, a young fox and rabbit were engaging in battle.

"Too slow, Fox!" The rabbit laughed as he hopped in the air to avoid a slide-kick.

"Or so you think, Rabbit!" The animal known as Fox chuckled as she reached her hands toward his feet, grabbed them, then hurled him face-first into the ground.

Rabbit spat some grass out of his mouth and wiped his lips.

"Huh, lucky shot!" He snorted as he got up.

Squirrel thought he looked funny with grass in his mouth, she nearly didn't have time to suppress her giggles as she watched the two argue and battle it out.

Then she heard a cough.

Squirrel's eyes widened, and she slowly and fearfully turned to see Master Panda. His arms were folding and he was giving Squirrel a very serious look.

"Oh, master!" She exclaimed. "I just noticed-"

"Come along, Squirrel," Panda ordered before taking her hand and dragging her away from the scene. "You know what I told you."

Squirrel sighed as she took one last glance at Fox and Rabbit before she obeyed her master's wishes and continued walking with him.  
_

Night came upon the Valley and light shone from the cave, and Mrs. Duck had made a meal for Squirrel and the other masters. While Squirrel ate heartily from her bowl of rice and greens, the elders sat at a table and were deep in discussion.

"She isn't like us, Panda," Mrs. Duck told him quietly. "This afternoon, I've witnessed special growth on her...from her bosom to up to her chest." She sighed deeply, and stirred her tea. "First the hair, now this..." She motioned to an oblivious Squirrel. "Even Fox hasn't gone through anything as unusual as this...this...formation."

"You think that's out of the ordinary," Turtle chuckled as he took out some scrolls, "look what the lil' youngster drew during lab." He opened a scroll he had given to Squirrel for creative time during her studies and pointed at the drawing.

"My goodness," Mrs. Duck exclaimed as she and Panda looked awestruck at the drawing. "What on Earth is that thing? Are those...wheels?"

"Squirrel says they can make transport go faster in a hundred miles per hour," Turtle explained. "At least, she hopes. The youngster's been working hard trying to make wood go like the speed of light!"

"She certainly has an advanced mind..." Panda said quietly as he glanced over at Squirrel, was feeding her face with a third bowl of rice.

"That's not all," Turtle said before opening another scroll, "during creative literature, Squirrel wrote down things I've never even heard of before...music with stuff she thinks is called 'class'? Tea with a lot of sugar that it makes you hyper? Moving pictures? How on Earth can you move a picture unless it's for rearranging a room. Boy, this girl's got a big mind! And I'm not just saying that because of her incredible math skills. I mean, she built a cart of some sort in which she called a 'pick-up cart'."

"Her cooking skills were quite surprising," Mrs. Duck added. "She added many new ideas to cooking. Why, she even invented this food where you place sauce on top and place a variety of foods all over, such as sausage and fish!" She smiled as she recalled the memory. "And it was quite delicious."

"She's not like us, Panda," Turtle told him in a serious tone. "She's different. Much different. Not that I'm calling her bad or anything, but..." He took a deeo breath before he regarded his friend of many years. "maybe our world just doesn't seem to fit her view, you know?"

"That is absurd!" Panda exclaimed angrily. He immediately stopped himself when Squirrel turned to see what was going on. When nothing happened, the child went back to eating her jellied desserts. Panda calmed down before regarding his startled friends. "She is a Valley animal."

"Technically, Valley doesn't seem to fit her," Turtle said, still looking at the scrolls Squirrel had wrote on. "She even saif something about big places and these things she calls...places where everything is constructed of metal."

"Metal?" Panda repeated.

"This Valley doesn't seem to fill her needs anymore," Mrs. Duck told him gently. "She's growing up."

"But she is only eight..." Panda said quietly. He looked over to Squirrel, who was drinking from her cup of tea. Then he remembered something he had promised once Squirrel was grown and her training mastered.

He promised that one day she would be ready to take down Dragon.

Dragon was now completely loyal to his dark ways, with no chance of ever returning to the loyal friend Panda once knew. And Dragon vowed to destroy the Valley and everyone who lived in it, making sure evil reigned all life. And Panda vowed that Squirrel would stop him, restore the Valley's peace, following her destiny...

But was it really her destiny? Panda assumed...the stork did drop her and Panda had found her...fate meant to do something because of that...

It was time for bed, and Panda was tucking Squirrel under a silken blanket atop her big feather-stuffed cushion, and then placing a stuffed turtle doll next to her. He given her that doll for her sixth birthday.

"Pansy?" She asked as she yawned. That was the special name she always gave him, considering she sometimes had a hard time pronouncing his name. "How come I can't be seen by anyone but you?" For years, since she could learn to walk and talk, it had never occurred to Squirrel exacly why she had to hide all the time. Panda taking her away from viewing Fox and Rabbit fighting really stirred some questions in her.

Panda sighed as he threw a pail of water unto the fire, the cave now becoming dark and only the stars outside shone light.

"It is better this way, young Squirrel."

And he left her to sleep.  
_

Squirrel was now ten. She wore a long red tunic that Mrs. Duck has knitted for her and her hair was held back by a red ribbon. She bit her lip as she climbed up a nearby tree. When she got to the top, she glanced down. There sat Panda, a pebble laying in his hand.

"Patience, Squirrel," Panda reminded her as he gracefully tossed the pebble up and caught it atop his head. "Remember the art of patience One must always wait time to go by before claiming something, such as this pebble."

Squirrel narrowed her eyes in wonder. Then she took out her bo staff, which Panda had given to her when she was eight, and stood her ground as she looked at her master.

"Remember," Panda told her as he sat in a yoga position, "think like a pebble... be patient...you are a pebble."

Squirrel's body began to calm as she took slow breaths, to ease her running mind. "I am a pebble..." Squirrel repeated softly to herself, closing her eyes as she balanced on one leg while she spread her arms.

She stood in that position for a few moments, one arm sticking out holding her staff while the other was up in the air, as if she was mentally communicating with the sky.

She reopened her eyes and smiled at Panda. "May I have the pebble, please?"

"Certainly," Panda said before placing the pebble in her hand.

Her eyes widened as the pebble glistened in her hand. "Whoo-hoo!" Squirrel cheered, jumping up and down. "I did it!"

"You certainly showed a new way of fighting skill," Panda chuckled, "that one must not always be violent to win in the end. You, my student, certainly have a compassionate side."

"I do what I can," Squirrel laughed, tossing the pebble from one hand to the other, feeling very proud to success another training session.  
_

That day came that neither of the elders, even Panda, had thought would happen.

Squirrel was leaving the Valley.

The elders had discussed it a few days before, and Panda had to reach the nerve-hitting decision that Squirrel certainly needed to leave and find her true place in life. She was growing up...not just growing up...she was developing, both in body and mind. The elders knew Squirrel had an advanced mind, seeming to know about the world 'out there'. Though she tried not to show it, they knew that Squirrel was growing tired of the simply things given to her. She wanted to do more than train and cook.

She wanted to live.

It was almost like a mission for Squirrel, except it was to find what she had been looking for since her ten years in hiding and being in a small-cultured lifestyle. She was not like the other animals. She was different.

So the choice was made, and Squirrel had packed to depart from her home.

"Remember, dear," Mrs. Duck said, her eyes filled with tears, "be a good lady as you grow older...if men harass you, show them no mercy!"

Squirrel had to smile, tears sliding down her cheek.

"I will, Mrs. Duck," she said before she hugged the elderly duck one last time. She took in the scent of her sweet perfume one last time, its odor always had a calm, peaceful effect on the Squirrel since she was little.

"I made you some dumplings for your journey," Mrs. Duck sniffed as she patted Squirrel's bag on her back. She knew once Squirrel went 'to the other side', there would be other foods far better than what Mrs. Duck had made for Squirrel all those years she had stayed in the Valley.

"Heal the world, missy," Turtle managed to chuckle, keeping a strong face. "Remember everything I taught you about medicine and all that."

"I will be a good doctor," Squirrel promised, though for some reason, she had her fingers crossed behind her back. "Maybe something other than a doctor..." She muttered quietly under her breath.

Turtle chuckled, tears sliding down his cheeks before he brought her into a hug. Of all the students he had taught over the years, Squirrel was his brightest, and most respectful. Though her mind had been too much for him to handle all those years, Turtle knew that it meant that it could really benefit for something toward the world she was heading for.

"There are some gold coins in your bag," he told her, "but I know it'll probably be worthless once you get _there..._"

"Don't forget," Squirrel giggled, "I think I can do some sort of foreign trading, or exchange, or whatever."

"Right," he chuckled.

Finally, Squirrel turned to Panda.

Out of all of them, Squirrel was the closest to Panda...the person who had found her, rescued her, raised her...he was like her special friend.

A friend she was leaving behind.

The elderly panda sighed as he gazed at the baby that had grown into a grown kid, and was well on her way to becoming a teenager. He made this decision...he made it for her. Because he knew this is what she truly wanted, truly deserved.

He remembered that vow he made that one day she would fight Dragon...some vows were meant to be broken. But he knew Squirrel did have a destiny...

...and that destiny was somewhere out there in 'the other side'.

The elderly panda sighed as he continued gazing at his student of many years. "Please be safe on your journey, Squirrel." His voice cracked a bit.

Squirrel, unable to calm herself, raced into his arms and hugged him. She quietly sobbed to herself. Panda patted his student gently, allowing her to cry on him, her tears soaking his fur. He embraced her back.

Mrs. Duck and Turtle thouht they saw a tear in Panda's eye..

"I hope you find what you're looking for..." Panda said before they broke their hug. Despite the sadness, he gave her a small smile.

Squirrel sniffed, then she took a deep breath. She gave him a strong, determined smile. "I will, master," Squirrel told him, trying to keep up a brave face. "But even though I find special places in the world...remember that my home is still here...in the Valley."

"Wiser words have never been spoken," Panda said, smiling.

And they bowed to each other, which was to be the last time.

Squirrel looked at the three elders...then she gave them a small wave, tears falling down her cheeks. Then she stood her ground...she spread her arms...

And took off into the air, high above the trees.

Taking one glance at the elders, who were now just a tiny speck from where she was flying, Squirrel tearfully turned away and continued on her journey.

Panda watched as his student disappeared among the clouds.

"Good luck, young Squirrel..." He said quietly, the sadness returning in his voice.  
_

A few months after Squirrel's departure, chaos ensued.

Ninja monkeys, ordered by Dragon, were practically attacking the Valley almost every day. Dragon was getting more and more restless and malicious as time went on, his desire to destroy all things good increasing, and he had vowed to kill Panda.

But the Valley animals always won in the end, and Panda always found a way to defeat his former friend.

But was it enough?

Panda sighed as he stood atop a cliff, lookng into the horizon of the Valley he loved deeply. He bowed respectfully to his home before he looked up into the sky, his eyes raising toward the light...filled with plea.

"Great heavens..." he said as he raised his hands as if to reach up into the sky. "Dragon has joined the dark side, and the Valley is in deep peril..." He closed his eyes, half meditating, half praying. "I beg of you for a sign to restore balance..."

Suddenly, he felt something fall into his arms.

Panda opened his eyes.

A bundle lay in his hands...and in it was a baby.

The baby looked at him with big, glassy eyes. It had a gleaming red nose, short strands of what was possibly white hair, and its fur was black.

"A baby panda?" Panda exclaimed in surprise as the baby looked at him with big, curious eyes.

Suddenly, the baby let out a cloud of stink that emerged from within its bundle, and the smell hit Panda's nostrils.

"That's no panda?" Panda exclaimed, trying to breath as he leaned back away from the odor.

He looked more closely. It was a skunk!

But then he held the baby close as he looked up into the sky...into the heavens...

"Thank you, heavens..." he said gratefully. "...for your precious gift." He gazed at Skunk with the same expression he had given a certain baby in a bundle all those years ago. "I will ready him for this great responsiblity, and the great task that lies ahead."

Suddenly, the baby skunk began to cry.

"No, little Skunk," Panda told it soothingly. "Don't cry..." He gave it a gentle pat upon its head, something he had done a long time ago.

And the skunk stopped crying as his big eyes sparkled while looking down at the horizon, not realizing what was in store for him.  
_

Many years later, Skunk, now a young, little boy, was running beside a grown Rabbit, followed by an ox with a bird on its head. They were suppose to be training, but bided their time with fooling around.

"Nice shot, squirt!" Rabbit laughed as he dodged one of Skunk's kicks.

"I'll get you!" Skunk laughed playfully. He glared over to the ox and bird. "Hey, Bird, Ox, aren't you guys going to help?"

"I'd help," Bird said as he lay on his back atop Ox's head, "but that'd really cut into my sleeping schedule, you know?"

"Um, yeah!" Ox said, nodding his head. "What he said!"

Skunk nearly got hit as he dodged one of Rabbits kicks.

Rabbit laughed...suddenly, he stopped. His ears began to twitch.

"Rabbit?" Skunk asked as he waved a hand in front of his face. "Anybody home?"

Rabbit held a hand to shush him. Then he dropped on his stomach as he placed one of his large ears against the ground.

"I hear something," he said in a quiet, serious tone.

"What is it?" Skunk said, standing in full alert, holding a fighting pose. "Monkeys?"

"No..." Rabbit said slowly, lifting his ears as they began to twitch again. "It's coming from the sky..."

They all looked up, seeing nothing but blue skies and white clouds.

"Hey," Skunk said as he continued looking up, his eyes squinting, "what's that in the sky?"

"I don't see nothing," Bird whined, stifling a yawn.

Ox peered up...

...then suddenly, a flash of light shone in his eyes for a quick second.

"There's..." Ox gasped, trying to regain the memory of what he had just witnessed so quickly. "...there's a girl in the sky!"

All the others looked up him as if he were insane. He was moronic, but never insane...

"Oh, yeah?" Bird laughed, playing along with Ox. "Well, is she a doll or what?"

"She's got to be an angel!" Ox exclaimed, getting a bit excited.

"Sure..." Bird said sarcastically rolling his eyes. "And Skunk will be a kung-fu master someday..."

"Hey!" Skunk retorted. He continued looking up, wondering if Ox was right. "Where'd she go then?"

He ran forward and jumped into the air, hoping to feel for something. He fell back down to th ground.

Suddenly, he saw a twinkle of some kind in the sky...

"She's coming down!" Skunk cried as he saw an object carefully glide down from the sky. "Everyone, be prepared!"

"Oh, I'm always prepared..." Rabbit chuckled proudly.

"Ah, Skunk," Panda said as he emerged from the bushes and walking towards his student, "there you are. We still have to train with the art of the pebble." When he noticed Skunk paid no attention or even whined about training, he grew very suspicious. Then he noticed he and the others were looking up. He followed their gaze...

His eyes widened.

"Wha...what is that?" Skunk asked in fear.

"Do not fear, Skunk..." Panda assured him, despite his own sanity about to burst. The largest of smiles formed on his elderly lips. "...for it is an old student of mine."

"Old student?" Skunk asked in disbelief.

Two delicate feet placed themselves on the ground...

And Skunk and the other students' jaws dropped.

Panda cleared his throat, his eyes never leaving the sight of the newcomer. However, this person was no new to the elderly panda...

"Skunk..." Panda began. "...this is Squirrel."


	2. The Love and the Ageness

**_Okay, I apologize for the LONG wait. With school and all and Deviantart is just that awesome...But I'm just glad I finally had a chance to update this story. _**

**_PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!  
_ _**

Squirrel smiled at Panda, sliding her fingers through her long blonde hair as she smoothed her tunic and shorts. "Master Panda," she said finally, going on her knees and bowing before him.

The elderly panda gazed at his old student. She had grown into quite a young woman over the years. Her hair had become longer and more luxurious, her height made her almost as tall as him, her sparkling brown eyes shone in the sunlight, and she seemed to have applied some lipstick. He noticed the clothes she wore, and he completely understood why.

She was definitely grown up.

"Ah, have the years past since I last saw you, young Squirrel," Panda chuckled, "I welcome you back to the Valley." And he gave her his respected bow.

Squirrel smiled at her old master, the man that had started her life before she took on it and continued the rest. She gave a bow in return, locks of golden hair cascading across her face.

"It's great to be back, master," Squirrel told him. She turned to Skunk and the others and smiled. "Hi."

It took a few moments before Skunk could regain himself as he finally blinked and started smiling nervously.

"Hi," he greeted, blushing. Never had he seen a face so beautiful...

"This is truly wonderful!" Panda exclaimed happily. "I will tell the rest of the Valley on your return, and we will have a big feast to celebrate!" He motioned

for Squirrel to follow him. "This way, young Squirrel. Mrs. Duck and Turtle will certainly be pleased to see you."

"I can't wait to see them," Squirrel said happily as she followed her master, the other animals behind her.

Skunk kept his eyes trained on Squirrel during the walk, he barely blinked as he watched her lush tail swish back and forth and her blonde hair motioning as she walked gracefully.

"She's just so..." Skunk managed to say as he walked beside Rabbit as they trailed behind Squirrel, "so...so pretty..."

"No, duh, genius," Rabbit said. He smirked as he watched Squirrel's soft tail move up and down as she walked. "I'll tell you one thing...we sure got nothing

like that here in the Valley; it's almost impossible to believe she came from here." He gave Skunk a playful but warning shove as he walked ahead of him to get a better view of Squirrel. "Sorry, squirt. Tall, curvy, and gorgeous is right for the picking."

Skunk seethed as he rubbed his arm. "Dream on..." He muttered.

When they informed the other Valley animals and Squirrel was reunited with Mrs. Duck and Turtle, preparations were made and soon a big feast was

cooked.

"Oh, Squirrel," Mrs. Duck sighed as she stood by the young girl as they began baking in the kitchen, "have the years passed and look how grown up you are.

You certainly blossomed into such a woman...just as you started when you were eight."

Squirrel blushed. "It's been such a long five years, Mrs. Duck, and I've seen so much during my world travels." She began stuffind a thick piece of dough

with chunks of meat.

"I say," Mrs. Duck said as she watched Squirrel prepare the unusual meal, "what is that you're making?"

"It's called calzone," Squirrel explained, "really good Italian food."

"Just as you were when you were a little girl," Mrs. Duck chuckled, "you have such an advanced mind."

Dinner had been prepared and soon everyone was seated around the dining area; Squirrel sat as the guest of honor with the elders. She smiled at the group of animals she knew only little about when she was younger. She spotted Rabbit and Fox and tried not to giggle; the fight scene was still fresh in her mind after all these years.

"She sure is pretty," Ox said as he sat with all the other young animals at a nearby table.

"Yeah," Bird said, giving off a whistle. "A real dame."

Panda tapped a spoon to a cup, calling for the others' attention. Standing up and clearing his throat, he began to speak.

"A lot of you are still wondering who this young lady is," Panda began as he motioned to Squirrel, "and you have every right to be..." He closed his eyes for a few moments, then he continued his monologue. "She was an old student I had found fifteen years ago, back when most of you were still children..."

The animals murmured amongst each other, recalling the past and how they had never even seen Squirrel during that time. Confusion rose among them as well as curiosity to why the elderly panda had hid this from them until now.

"How come we haven't heard of her until now?" Fox asked. Her eyes glazed over to Rabbit, who was busy smirking at Squirrel as well as winking at her every now and then.

Panda sighed, clasping his hands together. "With Dragon turning to the dark side and many of you who were young back then were in great danger, I couldn't bare to endanger another child." He gave an apologetic smile to Squirrel. "So until she was ten, we three masters had trained her and raised her in secret, until finally we realized that she deserved the finer things the Valley couldn't offer."

Squirrel regarded her old master. It must have pained him to let her go like that. But he knew definitely that the Valley life just wasn't her cup of tea entirely and she was eternally grateful that he had sent her out into the world outside of the Valley. A lot of things have changed in her growing life...

"But I'm here now," Squirrel said finally, giving Panda an assuring smile. "And this place has offered me so much since I came back." She raised her glass to make a toast to her master as well as the the animals themselves. "It's good to be home."

And the others raised their glasses in agreement and soon everyone began eating.  
_

"And here is your new home," Panda told Squirrel as they looked up at a big tree, "the finest tree in the Valley."

Squirrel looked at the tree with fascination. It was more enormous then those trees of the woods, and the texture of the wood was healthy and strong. She would make a find home out of it.

"I love it, master," she said. "Boy, I can't wait to make adjustments on this!"

"Adjustments?" Panda asked, looking at her.

"You know, make it into a house," she explained, "I placed all my things in the woods before seeing you guys, my tools are in the stash. I'll be able to make this treehouse into a gleehouse by the end of the day." She showed him a magazine. "To look something like this."

Panda took the magazine in his hands and looked at it in pure amazement. Such an interesting article Squirrel must have possessed from the 'outside world'; the glamorous and extraordinary things he noticed on only once picture in this magazine.

Truly, Squirrel had let go of her 'Valley girl' character and had given herself a life of luxury and prosperity.

He chuckled. "Ah, Squirrel, certainly the advanced one, yes?"

"Just keeping up with the generation, sir," she said, "not that I'm saying you guys are way behind the generation..." She chose her words carefully, knowing how precious the life of the Valley was to the elderly panda.

"Well," he said, "I'll be happy to lend a helping hand, and so will the other animals." He looked over to some bushes. "Isn't that right Skunk?"

The bushes shuffled and out popped Skunk's head, his face completely red. He chuckled nervously as he gave a shy wave to both Squirrel and Panda.

Apparently, Squirrel had many interesting possessions as the Valley animals began hauling things into her home. They were amazed at the changes Squirrel had done to the tree using the skills she had been given both from the masters as well as the world she had just came back from; she was a whiz with power tools.

They never seen such an amazing home, despite it being out of place among these old-fashioned animal made homes that the Valley animals constructed through mud and twigs.

"What's this?" Mrs. Duck asked, pointing to a giant screen television.

"That's the TV," Squirrel explained, "it totally runs on a forever-lasting battery."

"What are these?" Turtle asked as he looked through a box of DVDs.

"They're called DVDs," Squirrel explained, "we can watch them together some time. Usually, I just watch them on the laptop." She showed them her

laptop.

"And what do you call this?" Panda asked curiously, gazing at the new devices that was unlike anything he had ever seen before. "Technology?"

"Yes," Squirrel nodded, "and more technology is created as the years go by, such as, behold..." she held out an i-pod, "the i-pod."

"It looks like a little television itself," Mrs. Duck said as she looked at it.

"Oh, it can play movies and episodes you download from i-tunes, and it can hold lots of music," Squirrel explained.

Panda gazed at the small device in her hand. This word 'TV'...it sounded so foreign to him. And all this metal and machinery...the Valley never had anything close to this.

"It's amazing to think what you've done over the years you traveled," Panda chuckled. "We will leave you to your new home. Again, welcome home." He gave her another bow before he and the elders walked out the door. "Come and join us later if you want."

Squirrel waved farewell to them before she began shifting her furniture around. It was good to be home and back with the people she loved. She sorted through a few small boxes filled with trinkets and tiny souvenirs she had gotten during her travels.

She took out what appeared to be a blue, heart-shaped locket...and immediately her lip quivered.

"Squirrel?"

Squirrel quickly placed the locket back into her jewelry box and turned around. There stood Skunk at the doorway, a flower in his hand.

"Hey, you," she greeted sweetly, "we sure hadn't got to know each other better for most of the day."

"Well, with you being busy and all," Skunk said, blushing. He lightly twirled the flower in his trembling hand. "For you. It's kind of a welcome gift."

Squirrel cooed at the small gift before she sniffed it. "Thank you, Skunk." She slipped it behind her ear, and it made her look even more pretty if that was even possible.

"Whoa!" Skunk gasped as he raced over to a game system plugged into the television. "What's this? It's so shiny!" He took ahold of the game console, his eyes glazed over the colorful buttons.

"That's my XBox," she explained, "I hadn't plug in the Wii yet."

"What does it do?" He asked excitedly, wondering what this newfound object could do to entertain him.

"Simple," Squirrel explained as she took out a remote and turned on the televsion and out popped the game that was on demo.

Skunk's eyes widened as he looked at the screen. Pictures on a box? And they're moving? Wherever Squirrel went, she definitely made a good life for herself there.

_Oh, yeah,_ he thought happily,_ she's definitely the one.  
_ _

Night came and Squirrel and Skunk joined a few of the Valley animals for some night games and mischief. Rabbit, of course, was being his cocky himself as he twirled a grass stem in his mouth while sidling up to the blonde squirrel.

"Squirrel, babe," Rabbit winked as he flexed his muscles for her, "you probably ain't seen any of this anywhere."

"Actually, I have," Squirrel chuckled, giving him a once over with her brown eyes. "And Canada in particular."

"Tell me, Squirrel," Fox cut in, shoving Rabbit lightly. "What have you accoplished during you travels?"

"Well, everything I guess," Squirrel replied, "I mean, graduating from a top school in England at age eleven, got pretty awesome work, life in the fast lane and the city life and all that luxury..." She trailed off as she eyed the others.

"Forget it, Fox," Bird whispered teasingly to Fox. "She's always one step ahead of you."

"Shut up," Fox warned him.

"Heads up!" Rabbit said as he lowered one ear to the ground. "I hear footsteps!"

The animals shot up in alert as they gazed among the shadows. Suddenly, black figures sifted through the night sky, and screeching was heard.

"Ninja monkeys!" Skunk exclaimed, placing himself in a fighting stance.

Squirrel gasped as stood beside him, seeming a bit fearful at first. But she overcame her anxiety soon after as she brought out her special bo staff. Soon, ninja monkeys were attacking them from different sides and they, minus Bird and Ox, fought each one down.

"Can't you lazy boys do anything?" Fox demanded as she knocked out another monkey.

"Meh, you guys look like you got it under control..." Bird muttered as he laid against the hump of Ox, whom had now fallen asleep.

Squirrel knocked out two monkeys with her bo staff and sent a swift kick to an upcoming one. They were just too many surrounding her and it would take forever to get rid of them all...

"Time to take out The Big One," she said as she reached into her tunic pocket and threw something on the ground.

It was a metal orb of some kind and it rolled towards the monkeys. They observed it with curiosity...

**_BOOM!_**

It exploded and sent a cloud among them all. It smelled horrible! The animals held their noises, muttering an complaining of the awful stench.

"Whoa!" Rabbit exclaimed as he held his nose. "Smells worse than Skunk!"

"Hey!" The young skunk retorted. His anger immediately died down as he turned to Squirrel. "That was awesome!" Skunk exclaimed. "What is it?"

"I'd like to call it my special stink bomb," Squirrel said proudly as the orb closed up and she picked it up. "I designed it while back in New York."

"Man, with these doohickeys we'll be unbeatable!" Rabbit exclaimed.

"Another reason why I'm here," Squirrel chuckled, trying to sound modest. "With my genius mind and tinkering hands, we just might beat Dragon once and for all."

It was with that said that Bird casted Skunk a knowing wink before he began to speak. "You know, Squirrel," he began, "Skunk here's been training on account of being 'the chosen one'."

Skunk blushed, shifting his feet.

"Really?" Squirrel asked, impressed as she gazed at the young boy. "Well, despite being young, I can sense great things in you." She smiled at Skunk.

"Well, I..." Skunk began, his face as red as his nose.

"You're welcome," Bird whispered to him before giving him another wink.  
_

High up on a mountain, deep into the darkness of a cave, Baboon cautiously approached toward a large, bounded figure in an area that almost seemed like it was covered in snow.

"Dragon, sir," Baboon began as he bowed. "I have big news: word has reached that an old student of Panda's has arrived. They call her Squirrel."

"Squirrel?" Dragon repeated as he shifted in his bounded area. "So, Panda thought he could hide such a child from me, could he?" He snorted, puffs of air

escaping his nostrils. "Figure out a plan to capture this 'Squirrel', until then, have your monkey ninjas at full attacking speed."

"Yes, master," Baboon said before bowing down. "Hey, is it true that there actually is a way for you to escape your confines?"

He had heard the rumors and the stories that since the day Dragon had been punished by the gods in the Heavens to a secluded life of being trapped in his gave, he would be granted temporary freedom as his time began to consume the years passing by.

"Indeed there is," Dragon responded slowly, and Baboon thought he saw a chilled smile on the beast's lips. "For many, many years, have I been placed in this dastardly place, until now has the darkness reached in to provide me sanctuary...the darkness has increased as we speak. Soon, as the darkness comes, I will be released, and punish those for my faults."

"And who exactly is this dark hand?" Baboon asked.

"That is for me to know and for you to find out," Dragon replied irritably.

"No fair!" Baboon retorted. But a blast of Dragon's fiery breath sent Baboon running away like a child.  
_

For many days, since Squirrel's arrival, Skunk felt something deep within himself that none of the other males of the Valley could be equal to in comparison.

He was in love with Squirrel.

Of course, he was very young while Squirrel already reached the age of a teenager, but still...She certainly was not like all the rest, and not because she wore clothing all the time.

"Hey, Skunk!" A young, female rabbit shouted as she tossed in the air what Squirrel explained was a frisbee. "Catch!" And she threw it in his direction.

Skunk was still deep in thought when the frisbee hit his head.

"Ow!" He cried before picking up the disk. "Hare!"

Hare gave him a cocky grin as she patted the flower placed on one of her long ears.

"Geez, man!" A young cat said. "What's up with you today?"

"Nothing, Cat," Skunk said quietly.

"Oh, oh, I know!" A young raccoon said, smiling teasingly. "He's thinking about Squirrel!" She pointed fingers at him playfully.

"Am not, Raccoon!" Skunk retorted, blushing.

"Oh gross!" Cat said. "Love is gross!"

Skunk rolled his eyes at the three girls. They were Cat, Hare, and Raccoon, three girls that had been accidentally dropped by the stork a few months after Panda had found Skunk when he was a baby. Crane took them in and had trained them under her watchful. Cat was, of course, a cat with white fur and green eyes; much like Squirrel, she had a bit of blonde hair growing on her head. And there was Hare, a hare of light brown fur and blue/gray eyes; the young, girly equivalent to Rabbit, whom she harbors a crush on. And Raccoon, much like Cat, had hair that was brown as wood as well as brown were the same age as Skunk, but they tried to act older just to tease him; Cat, especially, since she was like the leader of the girl pact.

"Get use to it," Hare told her, "because looks like the guys are duking it out who gets her first."

"They're what?" Skunk exclaimed.

"Aw, see?" Raccoon teased with a girlish giggle. "You love her, you love her!"

"Do not!" Skunk responded hotly. "Where is she now?"

"Over by the stream," Hare replied, pointing behind her. "You can't miss her!"

And with that said, Skunk dashed past the three young girls.

"Run, Romeo, run!" Raccoon laughed.

"I still think love is gross," Cat muttered.  
_

"Excellent work, Squirrel," a small fish said from a pool of water as he watched Squirrel swim, a breathing apparatus on her, "you're doing mighty fine for someone who hasn't been to the Valley in years. Say, what do you call that thing on your back again?"

Squirrel disconnected the tube from her mouth. "It's called scuba gear, Master Fish," she explained, "it helps you breath underwater for a long period of time, like a fish."

"Child, where do you find this stuff?" He chuckled, shaking his head.

"In the pacific coast of Asia and the beaches of California," Squirrel said, smiling.

"Maybe I should've left the Valley and traveled the globe," he laughed, "you sure sound like you had fun."

"I did," she replied, "but I'm sure having fun here."

Skunk, huffing and puffing, stopped abruptly between Squirrel and Fish. His face was a bit red from all the running, but it became even redder as he found his eyes gazing at Squirrel.

"Hi, Squirrel," he breathed quickly, "hey, Fish."

"Boy, you here to watch how a top-class student swims?" Fish chuckled.

"Water's great!" Squirrel laughed, splashing at him playfully. "Come on in!"

"Sure," Skunk laughed before hopping into the cool water.

"Say, why don't you let Skunk try your breathing thing on, Squirrel?" Fish asked. "Might give him a leg-up."

"Sure thing," Squirrel said before taking off the apparatus and connecting it along Skunk's body. "Careful, it can be very heavy for a small child like you."

"I ain't small," Skunk retorted meekly, blushing. The device felt odd on his back, and the straps made him feel uncomfortable. But if Squirrel could manage it, why not him?

"You're just a child, remember that now," Fish chuckled.

"Just breath into this," Squirrel explained as she connected a tube to Skunk's mouth.

Soon, Skunk dipped deep into the water, and he found himself able to breath without gulping any liquid.

"Wow," he breathed through the device as his eyes shifted from Squirrel's waist to Fish's fin. "It feels so easy now."

Suddenly, he accidentally bumped his foot against the gas tank and he found himself dipping deeper into water.

"Uh-oh!" He cried. "Help!"

"Skunk!" Squirrel cried before she dashed down into the water.

Soon, she came up with Skunk in her arms. She flopped him on his stomach and made sure he was alright. She quickly removed the tube from his mouth as well as the rest of the apparatus and gazed into his flushed face as the young boy began breathing, not from lack of air but from fear.

"Well, he doesn't seem like he needs CPR," Squirrel said to Fish as they both looked down at Skunk.

Skunk coughed. "I'm okay." He smiled nervously at Squirrel.

"Boy, maybe you should stick to the old-fashioned breathing," Fish insisted, "the stuff Squirrel's got may not be ready for you to handle."

"I'll be taking this back now," Squirrel said before taking the apparatus and hoisting it on her shoulder, "I'm going to go now; Mrs.

Duck may need me in the kitchen."

"Take care, child," Fish said as she went away.

"Say, Fish," Skunk began, "what's CPR?" He gave Squirrel one final glance before staring at the elderly fish in curiosity.

"It's when someone has to give you a mouth-to-mouth to help you breath," Fish explained.

Skunk's eyes widened.

"D'oh!" He grunted.  
_

Squirrel kneaded some dough while Mrs. Duck began boiling some miso soup.

"Smells good, Mrs. Duck," Squirrel said, taking a whiff of the delicious scent.

"Oh, thank you, dear," Mrs. Duck said, "um, what is this again?" She motioned to a certain machine on the table.

"It's called a blender," Squirrel explained before placing some fruits into the container, "it can whip a smoothie in seconds!"

"Smoothie?" Mrs. Duck repeated in confusion.

"A healthy drink that teens love," Squirrel explained before putting the top on and pressing a button.

"My word!" Mrs. Duck exclaimed as the blender made a powerful noise while the fruits mixed together. "Sounds like a beast is trapped within it!"

"No, that's the machine talking," Squirrel chuckled. She poured the smooth liquid out into a mug. "Here try."

Mrs. Duck glanced at the frothy drink before finally taking a small sip. She smacked her lips as she imbibed in the taste.

"Why, this is very fruity," she said, "this could be a tea substitute."

"You know what that would go great with?" Squirrel said happily. "A cheeseburger."

"A what?"

"America's favorite food," she explained, "a slab of Angus beef between two pieces of bread."

"Perhaps that would be a great meal to serve tonight for the Valley," Mrs. Duck insisted.

"Of course," Squirrel nodded, "anything for you guys."

"Food..." Skunk slurred as he trailed towards the kitchen, drooling. He reached for some raw dumplings on the counter.

"No, no!" Mrs. Duck said as she smacked his hand with a spoon. "You wait until dinner."

"Here, Skunk," Squirrel said before handing him a glass of smoothie, "this should hold you until later."

Skunk gazed at the interesting drink in wonder, then he took a long sip; he had fruit liquid all over his upper lip when he was done.

"Wow," he said, clutching his head, "that was good yet painfully cold at the same time." His teeth chattered a bit as his mind felt like on big ice cube.

"You just had a brain freeze," Squirrel chuckled.

"Skunk," Mrs. Duck said, "shouldn't you be training with Panda right now?"

"Aw, can't he wait?" Skunk whined. He just wanted to watch Squirrel all day...

"It'll be worth it until dinner," she said before pointing her spoon for him to leave.

Skunk grumbled to himself before he left. He glanced over his shoulder to see Mrs. Duck returning to her cooking. His gaze caught Squirrel's...

She smiled at him and waved. Skunk blushed before waving back, then rushing off feeling all giddy.  
_

Night came as everyone was seated around the dining area. Squirrel pushed a cart around and placed a cheeseburger down for each animal. The animals were amazed by the new kind of food placed in front of them. It smelled wonderful and it was making their mouths water.

"Oh, cool!" Hare exclaimed. "A sandwich!"

"It's a burger," Squirrel explained as she continued pushing her cart around. She nearly ran over some kind of rope if it had not moved.

It was Snake.

"Greetings and salutations, Squirrel," he hissed contentedly as Squirrel placed food on his plate, "my, you sure are looking lovelier by each passing

moment."

"Thank you, Snake," she said, "and your hissing's sure become a lot more reverberating since I came here." And she continued on as she pushed her cart.

"Thanks, I-" Then Snake's eyes blinked, "what does reverberating mean?"

Squirrel stopped beside another table and smiled at Skunk.

"Hello, Skunk," she greeted before placing food on his plate, "trained well?"

"It's tiring," Skunk replied, blushing. He and Squirrel shared another smile, and he felt he could just melt in his seat.

"Hey, hey, Squirrel," Rabbit called out, taking her attention away from Skunk's. "Got anything for a very hungry warrior?" He flexed his muscles at her and winked.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Squirrel replied softly. She took a few graceful steps toward him, smiling at him.

Rabbit smirked at he closed his eyes, awaiting for what was to come.

_**PLOP!**_

And she dropped a burger unto his plate and a cup of smoothie beside it, some it splashing at his nose. Rabbit leaned back in his seat in surprise as the frothy liquid dripped from his nose. He gazed at Squirrel, whom gave him a satisfied smirk.

"Enjoy," she said automatically before continuing on.

Skunk was unable to hold his laughter as Rabbit wiped at the frost on his nose.

Suddenly, there was a noise in the distance as Squirrel halted her cart and looked ahead. The others heard it too as they stopped eating and looked on.

"What's that?" Ox asked with a moutful of burger.

"Monkeys!" Ordered a demanding voice. "Attack!"

Soon, from out of nowhere, ninja monkeys flew in and surrounded the Valley animals.

"Ah, great," Rabbit whined as he hopped from his seat, "and at dinner too."

Skunk stood beside Squirrel protectively as he tried to play the hero. The other animals prepared to fight and soon another battle began between them and the ninja monkeys. While everyone else was fighting, Squirrel and Skunk were luckily kept at a distance.

But then a white figure with sharp teeth appeared before them. It was Baboon, and his fangs gleamed as his eyes trailed over Squirrel's form.

"So..." Baboon said as he gazed at Squirrel, Skunk still standing by her protectively, "you're Squirrel, eh?" He grinned evily. "Lovely thing, aren't you?"

"Back off, Baboon!" Skunk warned, his feet planted firmly on the ground as he bared his teeth at him.

"Or what?" Baboon laughed. "What are you going to do? Pinch me?"

**_WAP!_**

Skunk sent a high kick right into his chin, sending him flying into a group of monkeys. Baboon groaned as he rolled on his back, his mind spinning; a faint bruise appeared on his chin.

"I better watch my words around you now..." he said dizzily.

"Thanks, Skunk," Squirrel said before patting his head.

"Anything for you, Squirrel," Skunk said, a goofy smile on his face.

As before, the ninja monkeys retreated and the Valley cheered in victory. And Squirrel served everyone a victory dessert known as baked Alaska.  
_

"Very lovely thing she is," Baboon explained to Dragon while he held an ice-pack to his chin, "she appears to be very smart, too."

"And she has been to 'the outside world'?" Dragon asked curiously.

"From the looks of it, yes."

"Very well," Dragon said, "for now, remain low until further notice."

And Baboon bowed before leaving.  
_

Skunk whistled to himself as he took a stroll down through the Valley. It was a beauitful day today and he thought he would get a little exercise before training with Panda. Squirrel would train with him, too, so she could make up for the time she was away.

"Morning, Skunk," Squirrel greeted as she trailed beside him, wearing a white sweatshirt and spandex and a band around her head, "jogging?"

"Yeah," Skunk replied. He looked at her attire. "Hey, um...can I ask you something?"

"It's not about why I wear clothes, is it?" Squirrel told him knowingly. "Everyone's been asking me that, and I remain silent."

"Um, no," Skunk said, "nothing like that, I promise. Just...what's 'the outside world' like?"

Squirrel looked at him, and her smile widened as she thought back. "It's simply amazing. There are people out there just like me!"

"Other squirrels?" He asked in disbelief.

"No, silly," she laughed, "human people, like me, a humanesque squirrel."

"Humans?" Skunk asked.

"If you were there, you'd know."

Soon, the two arrived back to Panda for their training, and this time they were to go against one another in a fan fan duel. Skunk posed with his fans held tightly to his sides while Squirrel posed beauitfully, her fans flapping like wings.

"And begin," Panda said, bringing his hand down to start.

Soon, Squirrel launched herself at Skunk and attempted to slash at him with her fans, but Skunk dodged her and his fans pressed against hers as they were in a tight grapple.

"You're pretty good," Squirrel said, very impressed.

"You're pretty...good yourself!" Skunk said quickly, his face red again.

Skunk pushed Squirrel back and jumped high into the air and was aiming towards her. Squirrel jumped out of the way before she threw her fans at him in fast motion. But Skunk dodged them and they bounced right off a tree before they came back in her hands.

Squirrel let out a battlecry before she rushed at Skunk. Skunk jumped into the air once again, but something unexpected happened...

_**FWAPPPP!**_

Skunk had accidentally let out his stink on Squirrel, and she fell to the ground coughing and sputtering.

"Oh, gross!" She cried, tears running down her cheeks from the horrible stench.

"Oh, man!" Skunk cried. "I am so sorry!" He rushed to her aid.

"It's okay, okay," Squirrel assured him, her hand flapping in front of her face in desperation for some air. She sniffed her hair. "Great...I smell like vermin..."

"Retreat to the stream then," Panda told her, deciding to end the training a little early. "Try and bathe it off."

"That's okay," Squirrel told her master before picking up her fans, "I'll just use the shower in my bathroom." And she walked off.

"Bathroom?" Panda asked in confusion as he watched her leave.  
_

Squirrel quickly dried her hair as she emerged from her bathroom and walked into her living room, beauitfully decorated and all.

There was a knock on the door.

"Skunk?" Squirrel began as she opened the door to find a very nervous skunk looking at the ground.

"I didn't mean to, I swear," he said innocently.

Squirrel sighed as she brought him inside. They sat on the couch and Squirrel turned on the television.

"Hey," she assured him, "it's okay, okay?" She gave him an assuring smile. "I mean, you're a skunk, remember?

"It's kind of a flaw that I have," Skunk chuckled nervously, "but it can be used as a great weapon sometimes..."

"Hey, I have flaws, too," Squirrel told him.

"You?" Skunk asked in disbelief. "No way! You're perfect...ly capable of anything!" He chuckled nervously. How many times has his face been so red?

"I'm a pacifist," she told him, "I'm rather talk than fight. Violence just isn't me, you know?"

"I think so," Skunk nodded.

"But you," Squirrel said, "while I was gone, Panda has trained you to fight against Dragon, I mean, you're 'the chosen one'!" She looked down. "I guess I

wasn't chosen for this at all..." Her voice trailed off.

She remembered when she was a child, Panda often told her of her 'destiny' and that she was destined to fight Dragon and restore peace to the Valley. But she felt that the Valley just wasn't for her, and this destiny thing just wasn't what she wanted in her life. Looking back now, she wondered what would have happened if she remained. Would she still have kept her destiny?

"I feel like I'm unimportant to Panda..."

"What?" Skunk exclaimed. "No! I mean, yeah, Panda trained me specifically to fight Dragon, but you...Panda hid you to protect you, and he gave you the freedom of going around the world. Of course, he cares about you!" He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Trust me, you got your special destiny fulfilled!"

She smiled at him, touched by his words. "Oh, Skunk..." Squirrel sighed. "It's your destiny to become a hero."

"And hopefully my destiny includes you," Skunk blurted out without thinking. He immediately slapped a hand over his mouth, his eyes wide.

Squirrel was speechless and her face immediately became red. What exactly did he mean? What was this young kid trying to tell her?

Was he telling her...?

"I, uh..." Skunk stuttered, "I'm sorry...I..."

"Skunk," she began softly, though her voice sounded a bit firm and serious. "Do you like me?" Her brown eyes looked at him expectantly, needing an answer now or never.

Skunk looked at her nervously. Now or never, huh?

"Do you like me?" He chose his words carefully. There was a hint of hope in his eyes.

Squirrel bit her lip. He was so young, just little kid while she herself was that of an adult. But she saw to it that his heart was trying to be in the right place, and he looked like someone who just wanted to fall in love.

Perhaps she did, as well.

Then she slowly nodded. "I think I do."

Skunk smiled widely, his heart beating rapidly at her words. She likes him!

They gazed at each other for a long time, time seemed to have stopped. Their faces seemed to inch closer...their faces hot...eyes were closed...

Before each other knew it, their lips touched.

It was actually Skunk who started the quick kiss, and that left Squirrel with a small smile on her face. Skunk suddenly felt giddy and amazed from his first kiss, and his face was red as a tomato.

"Ha, in your face Rabbit!" Skunk laughed as he jumped in his seat.  
_

"I still don't believe it!" Rabbit cried, a piece of grass between his lips. "I'm top of my game, and she chooses the squirt?"

It wasn't long before Skunk and Squirrel made their relationship public. It was quite shocking for most of the animals, mainly because of major age difference. Panda was quite shocked himself, but seeing as they were both just so young, especially Skunk, and in love, he, however, gave his blessing.

"What surprises me is that she loves him despite age," Snake hissed.

"Now, now," a black-and-white tiger said, "let's not be hasty."

"Tiger's right," a frog said, "we should be happy for him; I mean, this is the second time he's been in love."

"Don't remind me, Frog," Snake hissed, "I still remember the pain from that guitar-playing..."

Squirrel and Skunk walked through the woods toward the open Valley hand-in-hand. They had dated for a few weeks, and their relationship was going strong.

"Now don't you two look cute?" A gray crane said as she balanced herself on a stick.

"Yes," a small mantis said. "you two...are sure...a good...couple."

"Thanks, Crane. Thanks, Mantis," Squirrel said as she and Skunk trotted by.

"Squirrel," Turtle said as they walked by his lab, "think you could take care of a patient for me? My hands are full at the moment." He pointed towards Ox, who was laying on the ground; one of his legs were bruised. Bird sat perched on his head as usual.

"Sure thing, Turtle," Squirrel noded before she dragged her boyfriend towards Ox and Bird.

A few minutes later, Squirrel cut off a strip of bandage and held Ox's leg between two sticks as she wrapped it around.

"There," she smiled, "just no crazy activity for a while, okay?"

"You can trust us, dollface!" Bird chirped. "Activity ain't our game."

"Saving the Valley, too..." Skunk muttered under his breath.

Suddenly, they heard a screeching noise.

"What's that?" Ox exclaimed, unable to stand because of his leg. "Monkeys?"

"No..." Squirrel said as she stood up and looked towards the distance, "it sounds more like...tires."

"What are tires?" Skunk asked in confusion.

Soon, the rest of the Valley heard the noise and they all looked towards the distance.

Suddenly, coming up from a hill, a vehicle swirled in and was shifting left and right. Valley animals screamed as they got out of the way.

"What is that?" Cat cried as she and Hare and Raccoon ran off behind a tree. "A monster?"

"It's a van!" Squirrel exclaimed.

"Van?" Bird asked. "What, is that some sort of animal or something like that?"

Soon, the van swerved clear of everyone and stopped in front on Squirrel. The door opened and a face Squirrel thought she would never see again popped out.

Squirrel gasped.

"Donnie?"


	3. The Night Ninja

**_So here's the third chapter. You get a glimpse of Squirrel's past..._**

**_...and her budding love life.  
__**

_Ten-year-old Squirrel's tears soon dried as she found herself thousands of miles away from the Valley. She had been flying for who knows how long, yet she__wasn't completely tired. She was determined to make her first time in 'the outside world' a good one, therefore, she needed to stop at a country she had __yearned to go to ever since she began on her history as a younger girl years ago._

_England._

_Relying on the knowledge she had obtained from a dusty old history book/atlas, all Squirrel could remember was about England's past and what a proud country it was. Recalling on English biography excerpts from her studies, she learned that the country was to be a lovely place, filled with unusual yet compatible people and beautiful buildings._

_Her studies also revealed how many people from the past were born from wealthy families, thus children became heirs to mass fortunes, and did their children's children and so forth._

_As much as Squirrel enjoyed the simple life of the Valley, she longed to be part of the luxury life filled with money ad prosperity._

_And love._

_Sure, she was just a child, but during her years of sneaking into Mrs. Duck's private collection of dusty old romantic novels, Squirrel wondered if her new destiny would provide her the gift to fall in love with someone..._

_Landing on a nearby building that held, what Squirrel called, the proud country's flag, she combed her fingers through her blonde hair as she adjusted the bag around her __body before climbing down a ladder and landed unto what she knew was concrete floor._

_Here brown eyes widened as she took in everything that she saw: big, beauitful buildings, historic landmarks, cafes, English people, English guardsmen. __Squirrel read that the Queen's guards never flinched no matter what, but still, she kept her distance from them as she quickly passed by them. Walking __down a lovely street, Squirrel couldn't stop her head from turning in all directions as she looked from one corner to the next._

_"Evenin', love," a man in a gray suit greeted, tipping his hat to Squirrel before strolling past her._

_"Top of the morning," she greeted back, trying to sound courteous and not to giggle. Her studies revealed little of how English people spoke, but from the lame jokes Master Turtle had always made, mocking the English with this accent he believed was the way they spoke, Squirrel took it upon herself to use what Master Turtle had displayed and try to not feel out of place. She could recall in England's history about controversies between foreign countries..._

_But her first time talking to someone who was actually human like her and she knew she made a good first impression. However, she did sort of envy the man._

_He had on shoes._

_Squirrel remembered the golden coins her masters had provided her with. It was Valley currency; absolutely worthless in another place. But they were real gold, so Squirrel might be able to trade them for real money if she tried..._

_Squirrel made a mental note to shop for the very first time in one of the really nice English shops, first thing to buy was shoes._

_Her stomach growled._

_But the very first thing to buy was a snack. She thought it would be best to save the meal Mrs. Duck made her for later and try some other foreign __cuisine...like maybe English toffee. Trading her coins was no complicated task as she had gained a fair amount of currency that would help feed her for a while. It wasn't enough to find her a place, but she was sure there would be a large, secluded tree to make camp at..._

_Walking down a nearby street, Squirrel pondered what she was going to do with her newfound freedom when she heard a voice in the distance-_

_"Keep away, madman!"_

_Squirrel stopped in her tracks, her ears shifted up as she turned towards a dark alley despite the sun still being up. Making sure no one was around, Squirrel__quickly took out her bo staff and ran down the alley. Someone was in trouble, and Master Panda had taught her that when there was trouble, someone had to fix it and possibly fight to save someone._

_Her first real fight in ten years._

_A man was shoved against a wall and held by his shirt by another man with a mask on his head. He was held at gunpoint._

_"Listen, Richie Rich," the masked man snarled, "you know you're loaded, so fork over your wallet! You're bound to have like, what, a zillion bucks?"_

_"I'm not an idiot to carry that much money," the other man retorted, despite his life was at stake._

_"Oh, you got to be-"_

**_WAP!_**

_Squirrel had jumped in and tackled the man to the floor, using her bo staff to hold against his chest._

_"What the-?" The masked man looked at Squirrel. "Hey, kid, go back to school and play hopscotch, huh?" And he shoved her out of the way, but she landed __on her feet, holding her bo staff threatingly at him._

_"You should be real ashamed to rob someone of their money, sir," Squirrel said through gritted teeth, "it's people like you that make the poor seem rich."_

_"Why, you little-!" And the man jumped at her. Squirrel, putting her past training into use, tried to hold him off, but he seemed so strong while she seemed so small and had herself held by __the neck while the masked man attempted to choke her._

_"I'll teach you to talk to a grown-up like that!" And he began to squeeze her neck._

_Feeling herself unable to gasp breaths, Squirrel bit his hand and the man stumbled back in pain, clutching his hand which displayed her teeth marks. He took out his gun and pointed it at her._

_"Say goodnight, princess," he snarled._

**_CLUNK!_**

_The masked man stumbled. Apparently, the rich man had gotten behind him and hit him in the head with his cane, thus saving Squirrel's life._

_Well, it wasn't how Squirrel planned it. She was hoping her first real fight would result in saving someone, but instead someone had saved her. She thought the conclusion to a bit ridiculous but fairly plausible._

_But now Squirrel could barely think anymore as her eyelids began to descend and she felt dizzy from having been strangled. The last thing she saw was the rich man rushing to her side._

_"Miss..." he said, though she felt his voice echo in her brain, "I'm calling help right away..."_

_And things went black.  
__

_Her eyes fluttering open, Squirrel shifted her head to find she was in a white bed. Gazing down at her body, she was dressed in a white dress-like outfit._

_She realized was in a hospital._

_"Thank goodness you're alright..." She turned to see the rich man whom she tried to save earlier gaze at her gratefully as he came to her bedside, "that was a very heroic thing __you did back there, and I assure you, the man is behind bars."_

_Squirrel blinked for a few moments before she could find her voice. "You're welcome, sir." Well, her rescue may not have been how she planned it, but at least the evil man was put to justice._

_"Please, call me Max," the rich man responded gratefully, "I'm Max Winters."_

_Suddenly, Squirrel's eyes widened._

_"Max Winters?" She exclaimed, suddenly finding herself rising up and looking at him in astonishment. "One of the three richest people in the world? Great_

_historian and treasure keeper?" She smiled. "It's such an honor to meet you finally!"_

_Honestly, she knew no famous people in the 'outside world', let alone celebrities of today, but Max Winters was a prize idol to her since she could remember. For her tenth birthday, Master Turtle had surprised her with an extremely old magazine he managed to find farther outside of the Valley. Knowing how much Squirrel longed to expand her mind about the world outside the Valley, she was truly happy when she received the gift, thus giving her knowledge about the man known as Max Winters._

_One of the richest people in the world...power, money, fame. And he was a good, kind-hearted man. How could Squirrel not be overly excited to meet him in person, and she had saved him!_

_Max smiled at her ambition. "As it is truly an honor to meet such a fine hero as you," Max nodded, "Miss...?"_

_"I'm Squirrel," she said, remaining calm, still a bit weak from earlier. "I don't have a last name."_

_Max's eyes widened in disbelief. "No last name? You're an orphan?"_

_"Don't feel like it," Squirrel assured him as she laid back on her pillow._

_"What's a child like you doing all alone in a country like this?" Max asked carefully before sitting down beside her bed._

_Squirrel bit her lip. She never would have thought someone would ask her about her origin. "See, I've been in what you'd call a 'protection program'," she explained, trying to find the right words as not to alarm Max. "My master was like some overprotective adult, wanted me to be safe from so-called evil, thus__having me hidden for ten years, and I'm ten, obviously. So now, seeing as the Valley just doesn't seem to give me what I want in life, he's given me the__freedom of traveling the world in search of a new life." She smiled at him apologetically._

_Maybe that was more than she could have explained, but it seemed better to say it all and leave nothing out._

_"I did enjoy the first few minutes of England until that masked guy got me in this __semi-coma," she said assuringly._

_"The doctor said it was nothing serious," Max assured her, still taking her story in. "Just a minor injury." He looked at her with pure astonishment. "Traveling around the world? __Such like the story about the man who traveled around the world in eighty days."_

_"That was such a wonderful book," Squirrel replied softly, remembering another book from Turtle's collection; he gave it to her before she left. She shifted in her bed. "How long will the hospital keep me in here? I still have to go out and fine __a nice English tree to stay at."_

_"Now don't worry about a thing," Max assured her, his smiling suddenly growing wide. "No young girl will be sleeping outside, especially after getting hurt. I'll let you stay at my estate; it's the least I could do to thank you for saving me." He winked at her. __"And consider me your guide to this country. What do you say?"_

_Squirrel's eyes widened at the offer. This is what she had been dreaming about! Live the moment in the luxury at such an expense, and with Max Winters! Her eyes were so big her lips seemed to small when she smiled. "I'd like that..." She spoke softly. "I'd like that a lot."  
__

_Soon, Squirrel was released from the hospital and went hand-in-hand with Max before he drove them in what he said were just one of his fancy cars all the way__to his home. When Squirrel first took sight of the incredibly large mansion, she was breathless. It was big, beauitful, and very classy._

_And she was going to sleep in it._

_When Max showed her inside and gave her a tour of his house, he found her intelligent mind quite remarkable for such a young girl as she could point out __history behind every wall and house decoration. He showed her the guest room where she would be staying: a huge, decorated place with a queen-size bed __and a bathroom with a tub big enough to fit thirty-two people. Squirrel was thankful for everything, and she dared not take it for granted; she made sure __Max knew that it wasn't his riches, it was about making a friend for the first time in ten years._

_Soon, dinner arrived, and Squirrel, realizing she hadn't eaten anything all day, did her best not to eat like a wild animal as various dishes of foreign cuisine was placed in front of her._

_"So, Squirrel," Max began as he sat across from her at the large table, "what are your plans for the future? I mean, you're such a brilliant mind, I assume the world should have a very young doctor or a teacher or perhaps even a lawyer."_

_Squirrel dabbed at her lips with a silk napkin after tasting the delicious soup. She really hadn't thought about the future. Sure, she's told herself countless times about her so-called destiny, but she hadn't thought further of what to do next._

_"Well," she began slowly, "the thing is...I have been thinking of trying to go to school, maybe squeeze into some institution-"_

_"Then it's settled," Max said, smiling at her, "I'll call one of the best schools right away and tell them of your great mind; I'll pay for everything."_

_Squirrel nearly choked on her crab cakes after Max finished. She grabbed her tall glass of orange juice and chugged it before she regained her breathing and gazed at him in shock._

_School? Her? Sure, Squirrel knew she was smart, she studied more than necessary. And the ways of true people intrigued her..._

_Was this her destiny...it felt like it._

_"Do I have to wear shoes?" She suddenly blurted out, still trying to keep her shock under control.  
__

_Max sat proudly in the seats of the crowd as he watched the ceremony begin to take place in front of one of England's top colleges. Apparently, Squirrel was __a more brilliant mind than he thought when she quickly breezed through school in less than three months before going to a top college and breezed through __it in the exact same period of time._

_She was just so dedicated, giving her time to reading every book she could get her hands on and brace in the glories of the school system. And she loved her shoes. Max would buy her a different pair of shoes just to appease her and make her feel proud of her appearance._

_Now here he was, watching the remarkable child get her incredible degree; and still ten. He stood from his seat and clapped as she waved to the crowd, __proud of her accomplishment._

_As he was proud that she was his friend.  
__

_"Cheers!" Max and two of his good friends said before clinking glasses champagne, Squirrel's being a glass of apple juice, in celebration._

_After Squirrel's gradutation ceremony, Max took her and his two friends, Mr. and Mrs. Daren and Keila Thompson, out to fancy restaurant in __town._

_"Girl, you seriously own," Keila laughed, patting Squirrel on the back._

_"Looks like the world got's a new Atticus Finch and Dr. House," Daren laughed. Daren and Keila worked in Max's businesses, not only being his best workers, but also his closest friends._

_"I'm just happy I got this while I'm still young," Squirrel laughed, "to do four years of school before another four years in college...can't work that."_

_Max cleared his throat. "Squirrel," he began, standing from his seat, "can I talk to you in private?"_

_"Sure, Max," Squirrel said before following him towards the restroom._

_As soon as they were out of earshot, Max took a deeo breath. "Squirrel," he began as he knelt down to the small girl, "all my life, I've wanted to become the riches man in the world..."_

_"And you're the third," Squirrel pointed out, giggling._

_"Let me finish," he said, chuckling at her response. "I also wanted to be the richest...in family."_

_"Don't you have family?" Squirrel asked curiously. For as long as she had lived under his roof, she never even met any relatives of his, and he wasn't married._

_"Sadly, no," he sighed, "no parents, no siblings, no one..." Hearing those words, Squirrel's heart ached. He was such a lonely man. Rich he may be, but one to love?_

_Then he smiled at her "...until you came along." She returned his smile; at least she had shone some light on his dark loneliness. He stroked her head, something she really enjoyed.._

_"Squirrel..." He began softly. "...would you...would you __do me the honor of becoming my adopted daughter?"_

_Squirrel nearly fainted at his offer. Be the daughter of Max Winters? His daughter? A man whom inspired her, let alone brought her to a world of beauty and riches?_

_He should already know her answer-_

_"Yes!" She exclaimed. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" And she raced into his arms. "Oh, now I know what it feels like to actually have a daddy! And I'm proud to call you_

_my daddy..."_

_Suddenly, there was this small feeling of guilt that came from nowhere. But Squirrel immediately pushed it aside. She was going to have a daddy! What was there to be guilty about?_

_"As I am proud to call you my daughter..." Max said softly, a silent tear sliding down his cheek._

_Soon, Squirrel was legally the adopted daughter of Max Winters, and she soon became Squirrel Winters. For many months, they've spent time and money__together, for travel, for shopping, and the holidays. One special occassion was Squirrel's eleventh birthday. Max had bought her a beauitful black dress to wear at her first ever birthday party at THEIR mansion. Mostly, the people there were __workers in her adopted father's company, but she was happy nevertheless._

_She was just happy to be with him, as he was with her. Their lives were well._

_But then came that day...  
__

_Max hugged his adopted daughter before kissing her forehead. Tears were in his eyes as he stared at her, dressed in a coat for warmth and boots for the __hard surfaces she would eventually have to take on foot._

_He knew Squirrel needed to carry on the world, just as she had told him that day that had spoken to each for the first time in the hospital, thus, he and his__friends gave her a farewell dinner._

_Much like Master Panda, Squirrel realized, Max wanted her to lead her own life now. Again._

_The time they shared was precious, and each would always carry the memories with them no matter how far apart they were._

_"Take care, my daughter," he told her._

_Squirrel couldn't hold her tears in as she hugged him, her father, one last time before she began to float in the air. She stumbled a little in her flying, feeling weak because of so much sadness heavy in her heart._

_"Goodbye, daddy," she sniffed, letting her hands slip from his as she raised herself highed in the air, not keeping her eyes off Max until finally he became no __more than a speck on the ground._

_And, just as before when she said farewell to Panda...she flew off.  
__

_Five years later, fifteen-year-old Squirrel walked through the outskirts of Manhatten. She had traveled the US, even Alaska, and New York __was to be her last because it was her least favorite state._

_It was because her adopted father was reported dead because he had disappeared, right in Winter Corps._

_While in Canada, Squirrel had come across the article of Max Winters' disappearance and was concluded dead. They had found nothing in his dilapidated __museum, just rocks and dust._

_That had left a deep hole in Squirrel's heart, as well as bitter coldness toward the citizens who lived in this God-forsaken state. She knew it was wrong to hate New Yokers for the spontaneous death of her adopted father, but still...she knew someone __had to be responsible._

_Walking down a street, dressed in a fashionable rain coat, Squirrel held her purse close to her as she kept herself aware that she, a young, __attractive girl, was alone and out in the night. New York was New York, and that meant there crimes popping in and out most times._

_But she had her bo staff to protect her. Though she had been working and trying to keep her status as Max Winter's next heir under secrecy until she felt it was time to take publicly what was hers, Squirrel __managed to bide her time for some training and she approved. She wasn't violent, but she approved._

_"Too slow, gym shorts!"_

_Stopping in her tracks, Squirrel looked toward a dark alley. Taking out her bo staff, Squirrel cautiously walked towards it. It seemed absurd that she would just follow where trouble was coming, but remembering the little girl she had been where she had saved her adopted father, she felt it was right for what she was doing now._

_She stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening at the scene before her._

_"Ki-ya!" A giant, blue-masked turtle cried as he slashed his kantanas through a thief's wooden bat, having it fall into pieces._

_"You know better than to make this turtle angry..." A red-masked turtle said before grabbing a guy by the shirt and throwing him against a couple of trash __bins._

_"Too slow, dude!" An orange-masked turtle laughed as a tired, yet angry, man tried to punch him, but kept missing. "Nyah-nyah!"_

_"This just might knock a few IQs off your brain," a purple-masked turtle said before he knocked his bo staff against another man's stomach._

_They were turtles...big, human-like turtles. But they were far from the turtle Squirrel had grown up with back in the Valley...these turtles seemed out of the ordinary, unlike cartoon-equivalent animals she and the animals of the Valley were often described as, thus being passed on as regular humans with animal characteristics._

_These turtles...they looked like they were formed a certain way._

_Her eyes focused on the one with the purple-mask._

_Unknowist to him, a man was walking behind him, a bat in his hand._

_Squirrel's eyes widened as she saw how clueless the purple-masked turtle was._

_"No!" She cried as she flew forward. Using her staff, she knocked the man off his feet, kicking the bat out of his hands._

_"What the-?" The purple-masked gasped as he turned around and saw Squirrel, her bo staff pressing against the knocked out guy's stomach._

_"What?" Squirrel asked him, breathing heavily, to overwhelmed to realize she was speaking with the unusual turtle for the first time. "H-he was going to hit you..." She said frantically._

_"Whoa," the orange-masked turtle said as he knocke out a guy as he turned to look at Squirrel, "what kind of mutant is she?"_

_"Never mind that, Mikey!" The red-masked turtle said before knocking a guy off his feet. "Help us, will ya?"_

_"Um," the purple-masked turtle began as he looked over to Squirrel, who only shrugged, "I don't think now is a good time to begin introductions...sorry." He__smiled nervously at her._

_"I didn't even think introductions mattered anymore..." Squirrel said before she joined in and helped him and the other turtles battle the thugs._

_So she was helping four giant turtles fight off a bunch of thugs...how unusual..._

_It was a good fight, the turtles and Squirrel were winning. All was well until..._

_"Look out!" The purple-masked turtle cried, pointing behind Squirrel._

_Squirrel immediately turned, but it was too late. A half-passed out thug came from behind Squirrel and swatted at her arm with a bat, which also striked at the lower part of her shoulder. Squirrel groaned in agony as she fell to the floor, __clutching her bruised arm._

_The purple-masked turtle gazed from Squirrel's crumpled form toward the man that dared hurt her. Growling in anger, the purple-masked turtle rushed over and knocked out the thug, putting him in complete unconsciousness. Soon, all the thugs were knocked out cold._

_"You okay?" Ther purple-masked turtle asked before rushing to Squirrel's side._

_Squirrel nodded. "I'm okay." She got up and winced when she moved her arm._

_"Careful with that arm," the purple-masked turtle told her. He took her free arm over his shoulder and half-dragged her over to the other turtles._

_"Hey, thanks for the help out there," the red-masked turtle said, "it's always nice to get a helping hand...especially from another mutant."_

_"Excuse me, a mutant?" Squirrel exclaimed. "I'm a squirrel. I'm human!"_

_The four turtles looked at each other in confusion, even the purple-masked turtle seemed confused by her exclamation._

_"Okay, my brain just stopped," the orange-masked turtle known as Mikey said as he and the others looked at her._

_"That wouldn't be the first time, moron," the red-masked turtle told him._

_"We'll continue this conversation later," the purple-masked turtle said, looking at Squirrel, "right now, we got to take you to the lair."_

_"Lair?" Squirrel asked in confusion.  
__

_The lair, as the purple-masked turtle said, was their home in the sewers. On the way down through the sewers, the turtles explained of their origin and how __they came to be who they were today. It all fascinated Squirrel, despite the pain she was in._

_They were mutants, created by a mutagen that somehow made them human-like._

_And they thought she was a mutant! Unlike them she was wearing clothes, how dare they!_

_Squirrel rested against a couch as the purple-masked turtle bandaged her bruised arm._

_"She came out of nowhere and saved Donnie," the blue-masked turtle explained to an elderly, mutated rat, "she says she's not a mutant."_

_The rat turned to Squirrel, who faltered under his expressionless gaze. For as long as she had been growing up, Squirrel always felt nervous about rats, how in historical terms they started the plague as well as how they were such a burden to households across the country..._

_But this rat, he appeared harmless, but his gaze made her nervous._

_Yet it reminded her of a certain elderly panda..._

_"I thank you for saving my son," the rat said before bowing down, "Miss...?"_

_"Squirrel," she responded._

_"Won't forget that name," Mikey chuckled, poking at the red-masked turtle playfully._

_"Miss Squirrel," the rat said, "from where have you come from?"_

_"I come from a place know as the Valley," she explained, "it's somewhere in Asia, but pretty much cut from 'the outside world'."_

_"And you say you are not a mutant?" The rat asked curiously._

_Squirrel nodded. "I am a humanesque squirrel, sir."_

_"She's human?" Mikey said to himself._

_"Very well," the rat nodded, "I am Master Splinter Hamato, young one." He motioned to the four turtles. "These are my sons: the blue-masked one is Leonardo, the red-masked one is Raphael, the orange-masked on is Michelangelo, and the purple-masked one, whom is healing you back to health, is __Donatello."_

_Donatello nodded nervously to Squirrel before continuing on her arm._

_"It's very nice to meet you all," she said, despite the deep nervousness in herself. They were all mutants, and though she was in the same 'world' as they were, she still felt a pang of anxiety, considering how different they really were._

_"Same here," Raphael chuckled, "been around a lot?"_

_"Around...oh, yeah..." Squirrel replied, "this is my first night in New York."_

_"Dude, let me tell you," Michelangelo cut in, "the hot dogs here are wicked, man!"_

_"Yes, I've read in the Guy Fieri's "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" book," she nodded, "in fact, I was planning to visit this one diner he went to here..."_

_"Wow," Donatello said, amazed by her humanized culture. "You mean...you actually live among humans?"_

_"Well, don't you guys?" She shouldn't have asked that. The answer felt so obvious..._

_"Miss Squirrel," Master Splinter said, "we are but mutants confined to hiding. It is why we are deeply surprised that you, a human squirrel, runs among the__humans."_

_"It must be a thrill," Leonardo said._

_"It certainly has," Squirrel chuckled, "but I'm willing to see if this state will better itself than all the rest." Nice or not, Squirrel still had her doubts about New Yorkers, and that night in the alley proved a lot._

_After that night, the turtles insisted Squirrel stay at their sewer. They sure enjoyed her company, especially Donatello, who was more than thrilled to __actually meet someone who seemed mutant to have such an interest in 'nerd' stuff. They introduced her to their human friends, Casey and April, and it all __seemed like they were one big happy family._

_Until Squirrel had to go back to Valley.  
__

_Squirrel cried her heart out as she flew through the skies, leaving behind, yet again, more people she had gotten to love and admire. It was common for __her, but this...this, it really pained her heart, even deep down when she came to the Valley and rejoined her master and the other animals._

_But her heart was soon to rise in her chest...  
__

Memories called back at her while, as if in slow motion, the door of the van opened and out popped a familiar face Squirrel thought she would never see again.

"Donnie?" Squirrel gasped.

The purple-masked turtle smiled as he jumped off the van, his brothers and master behind him.

"Hi, Squirrel," he greeted, his smile growing wide, unable to believe that he was standing before her in the flesh.

"Oh my gosh!" Squirrel cried as she raced toward them and brought the four brothers into a big hug. "I can't believe you're here!"

She really couldn't believe it...Donnie must be _really _smart as to ever find the secluded land known as the Valley.

"Neither can we," Bird said as he and the other Valley animals looked at the turtles and elderly rat with pure shock and astonishment.

It was Master Splinter who stepped forward and bowed respectively to Panda.

"Master Panda, I presume?" He asked.

"Indeed, it is," Panda said before returning the gesture, "I welcome you to the Valley."

"Just who are you guys?" Rabbit demanded, in a fighting stance.

"Now, Rabbit!" Mrs. Duck scolded before banging a spoon upon his head. "Don't be rude to our guest!"

"Everyone," Squirrel announced, "these are old friends I met during one of my final travels in the states." She motioned to the the turtles and Splinter.

"Everyone, this is Master Splinter and his four sons, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, and Donatello."

"S'up?" Mikey greeted. "Love what you've done with the place."

"Why, I'll be," Turtle said as he approached the four turtles, "I remember when I had muscles like these." He poked at Raphael's arms.

"Hey!" Raph retorted.

"Whoo, sonny!" Turtle laughed. "You've got a long life ahead of ya before you become old and wrinkled like me."

"I'd rather not think about it," Raph replied carefully.

"This calls for a special feast!" Panda announced to the Valley animals. "Let us all welcome our guests!"

And with that said, the Valley animals welcomed the newcomers into their home as they showed them around while Mrs. Duck, Skunk, and Squirrel began preparing a big meal.  
_

"Pig, who even wants to look at a mud puddle?" Raccoon sighed as Pig himself showed Mikey the place where he usually went to relax.

"Oh, come on!" Pig said. "Everyone loves mud!"

"Dude, they're from the outside world!" Hare reminded him.

"No worries, dudette," Mikey assured her, "from where we come from, spas use this stuff like everyday!"  
_

"And this is the stream," Tiger said as he showed Leo a large pool of water, "in it is our dear Master Fish."

"Greetings and salutations," the fish waved to Leo.

"Hello," Leo greeted politely before bowing in respect.

"Usually we have to carry him around in a glass jar just so he won't be left out," Tiger whispered to him.

"How thoughtful," Leo chuckled.  
_

"Yeah, this here's my bean bag," Rabbit said as he showed Raph around his rabbit hole home, "she's my pride and joy...which I like to knock out of." And he gave it a swift rabbit kick.

"Not bad," Raph chuckled, folding his arms, "for someone's who's dubbed 'cutest animal on Animal Planet'."

"Cute?" Rabbit demanded. "Hey, man, I ain't cute, alright?"  
_

"I must say, Panda," Splinter said as he and Panda sat between a table of tea, "you've raised quite a student."

"Ah, yes," Panda nodded, "though it was difficult to understand her advanced mind, she certainly was very bright and very compassionate."

"She has many things in comparison with my son, Donatello," Splinter added, "out of all my sons, she was the closest to him." He chuckled. "Oh, those two

could talk about science all day..."  
_

"So," Turtle began as he showed Donnie around his lab, "seems you're the smart one out of your brothers, eh?"

Donnie gazed at astonishment at the old turtle's display of scientific essentials. "It's true," he said proudly.

"Just lik our own dear Squirrel," Turtle chuckled, "boy, when she was a child, she knew things we elders haven't even heard of before! Running objects, lighting objects, objects that could make music..." He laughed. "She always thought things like those could exist, and what do you know, she was right! But we have to admit, her thing-a-ma-bobs sure are doing the Valley rather nicely if not making it seem unusual."

"Tell me, sir," Donnie began carefully. He played with his hands nervously as his eyes darted back and forth, as if hoping no one would hear him. "Has she ever mentioned me...me and my family?" He tried not to reveal his pink blushing on his green face.

Turtle overlooked that and gave the teenage turtle a curious look.

"Sorry to say I haven't, son," he replied, "she's been pretty busy making up for all the years she's been gone. Though she has mentioned she's been to a few places we can see on the globe, and boy has she brought us a really nice globe!" And he showed Donnie the globe as he spun it around playfully. "That girl's full of souvenirs and gadgets and etc.!"  
_

Soon, the feast began and the turtles and Master Splinter sat at the guest-of-honor table as Squirrel served them her special recipe.

"Teriyaki pizza," Mikey drooled, "the best thing you cooked for dinner."

"Again, welcome," Squirrel said before conitnuing to the rest.

"Hi," Skunk greeted cheerfully, popping his head between Donnie and Raph, "I'm Skunk!"

"Well, aren't you a little firecracker?" Raph said playfully as he ruffled his head. "Say, Pepe le Peu, which one of them cute little girls is your girlfriend?" He winked at him playfully as he pointed toward a table where Cat, Hare, and Raccoon were eating.

Skunk rapidly shook his head. His smile grew as he felt proud to finally brag about his personal relationship with a very wonderful girl that had captured his heart the moment he laid eyes on her. "I have a girlfriend...but it's neither of those three." He happily pointed towards Squirrel, was was sitting beside Ox and Rabbit. "It's her!"

Donnie, who had just been sipping on his tea, choked and spat it out.

"Squirrel?" He exclaimed in utter shock, his eyes widening as he followed Skunk's gaze.

Raph was just as shocked.

"No offense..." Raph said as he looked down at Skunk, "but aren't you like, what, way younger than her?" Skunk was just a kid, and Squirrel was...well, she was almost an adult! How could it have happened?

And how was Donnie feeling right now?

Raph glanced over at his brother, whom just stared at his plate with wide, sad eyes.

"Our first kiss proved me to be old enough for her," Skunk replied slyly, "man, was Rabbit mad!"

"I'm sure he was..." Donnie muttered quietly to himself.

Despite the delicious smell, he didn't feel hungry.  
_

Since they've arrived, the turtles and Splinter were welcomed to stay at Squirrel's home. While the others slept, Squirrel and Donnie were the only ones awake as they sat at the kitchen table and began to do some tinkering, just as they had always done when Squirrel was in New York.

"So, Donnie," Squirrel began as she magnified a loose screw, "I forgot to ask...what brings you guys here?"

Donnie shrugged. "Well, we really missed you," Donnie explained, "Casey and April would've come, but you know with the O' Neil business and all..."

"Aw, I've missed you guys, too," Squirrel cooed playfully.

Donnie gazed at Squirrel for a long time.

"Is it really true, then?" He began softly. "Is it really true that you're Skunk's girlfriend?"

Squirrel looked at him, carefully lifting her goggles from her eyes. She should have known Skunk couldn't keep mum about their relationship, especially to her friends.

"Um, yeah..." she said slowly. "We had become a thing a while ago. He was really sweet, then I asked if he liked me, he asked if I liked him, and it sort of popped and now we're an item..." She looked down at the half-finished project, suddenly forgetting what exactly she had been doing.

"You love him?" Donnie asked carefully. He didn't mean to suddenly ask such a question, but it was itching at the back of his mind.

Squirrel looked at him for a long time, trying to read his face.

"I...I..." Squirrel began, trying to think it over. She sighed before gazing into his brown eyes. "Yes..."

Did that really mean anything? The way she said it?

Donnie's eyes widened a bit, then he no longer looked at her, his eyes more focused on their project.

"Well, uh, congrats," he muttered before he gave her a pat on the back, "I'm real happy for you..."

"Um, thanks," Squirrel said shyly. She stood from her seat. "I'll go make us some coffee..."

And she left Donnie to his thoughts as she went to the cupboards.  
_

The turtles had stayed in the Valley for only a few days, and already, they seemed like they had been in the Valley their whole lives.

"Good morning, boys," Mrs. Duck greeted the four turtles as she held out a plate of cookies, "fresh from the oven."

"Awesome, thanks," Mikey said as he took a handful.

"Oh, and Donatello," she said, turning to the purple-masked turtle, "Squirrel would like to for you to meet her later at Turtle's lab; apparently, there are a

few minor adjustements she says you two have to fix."

"Will do," Donnie nodded slowly. He was still thinking back on his conversation with Squirrel that one night.

_She said she loves him...  
__

"So, Squirrel," Skunk began as he sidled to his girlfriend, looking up at her with his big, puppy eyes, "I hear that Donnie's a genius like you..."

"Yes, he is," Squirrel replied, not keeping her eyes off her PDA, "we've done some work together back in New York."

"Together?" Skunk repeated, his voice cracking.

Squirrel stopped focusing on her PDA as she looked down at her young boyfriend.

"Skunk," she began, "I have to tell you something..." she took a deep breath, "I used to like Donnie...like a lot."

"You did?" Skunk gasped, his heart pounding.

She nodded slowly, her brown eyes sparkling with sadness. "But I never told him; I sort of guess he wasn't into me, you know? So I...I just gave up on him. And I moved my heart along and found someone who does love me." She smiled down at Skunk.

Skunk's paranoia faded immediately as he gazed at Squirrel with utter happiness. "Aw, thanks!" Skunk exclaimed happily before hugging her. He looked over to her PDA. "Hey, are you playing a game on that thing?"

"No," she said, "I'm working on some theorems Donnie and I had worked on. We're just getting one step closer to finishing our project."

"Oh," was all Skunk said.  
_

"I refuse to believe Squirrel still likes Donnie," Skunk said as he and Rabbit went for a walk, "I mean, she said so herself; she just gave up on him and saved her love for me."

"True..." Rabbit said slowly, "but ever heard of the phrase, 'a change of heart'? Read it off one of Squirrel's poetry books."

"Her 'change of heart' meant she moved on and wanted someone who would love her back," Skunk responded hotly. "Me."

"But what if she's wrong?" Rabbit asked, a sly tease in his voice as he regarded the young Skunk carefully. "What if Donnie did like her, but was too chicken to say anything?"

Skunk stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide at the thought.

"I'm just saying," Rabbit told him softly.

"That's a lie!" Skunk retorted angrily, startling him. "Squirrel loves me and only me! Not some muscle-freak who calls himself a 'mutant'!"

And he dashed away, leaving a very surprised Rabbit.  
_

"How far are we?" Squirrel asked as she checked her PDA while Donnie looked over the project they worked on a few nights before.

"We've reached about fifty percent," Donnie replied as he began adjusting some wires while pressing a few switches, "almost there."

"Look, there's a cloud!" Squirrel said, pointing toward a patch of white in the air. "Hurry, Donnie!"  
"Fifty-five..." Donnie read over in his calculations as the project began to heat up, "sixty-five...seventy-five...eighty-five...ninety-five...now, Squirrel!"

And with that said, Squirrel immediately opened a large, dome-like container before and began pressing a few buttons before she and Donnie placed on their goggles and stood away from the project as it began doing it's work.

Like a vacuum, the machine attracted the single cloud and began sucking it in slowly. The cloud seemed almost non-existent as it gathered itself inside the container before Squirrel quickly closed it and the machine relaxed while the white cloud soon turned gray while small bits of electricity unleashed itself against the glass.

"We did it!" Squirrel exclaimed as they took off their glasses.

"Finally, after almost three days things worked out perfectly!" Donnie exclaimed.

Squirrel threw her arms around him and hugged him. Donnie began to blush madly as she drew him closer to her. His arms felt weak and the feel of her slightly furry skin felt soft against his green skin...  
_

"Stupid Rabbit..." Skunk muttered to himself, "like he knows what love is...Donnie doesn't like Squirrel, and Squirrel sure doesn't like him...anymore." He told himself quietly.

Suddenly, he stopped in tracks. A few feet away from him, he saw Squirrel and Donnie.

In each other's arms.

Quickly, Skunk hid behind a tree and poked his head under the shadows and looked on, even though he couldn't hear what they were saying.

"You're amazing, Donnie!" Squirrel said as she looked at the turtle. "Now our lightning conductor is complete!"

"I'm just happy it worked," Donnie breathed happily, "and that you're happy about it."

"With you, anything is worth to be happy over," she laughed before she brought them in another tight hug.

Another hug...this seemed more affectionate than the other one.

Skunk had seen enough. Hiding behind the trees, Skunk breathed in and out, trying to take in what he just saw.

Squirrel and Donnie holding one another...for who knows how long...Squirrel laughing...smiling...Donnie blushing...weak at her touch...her touch...she was touching his skin with hers...

Skunk's fists clenched in insane envy as his eyes cracked under the need to cry with childish frustration.

Maybe Rabbit was right...Squirrel may have gotten 'a change of heart'.

Skunk's pained expression soon became one of being infuriated.

A single tear slid down his cheek.  
_

During dinner, Skunk barely touched his food while the others dug into theirs.

"You gonna eat that?" Bird asked, eyeing his pasta.

"Here, take it," Skunk said, pushing his plate toward.

"Someone's in a sour mood," Rabbit teased. "Something up?"

"Ninjas attack!"

"Not again!" Hare cried as she and the other animals came into action, just as dozens of ninja monkeys jumped from all directions.

"Whoa, dude," Mikey said as he and his brothers took out their weapons and prepared to fight, "so not The Foot."

"Who are they?" Donnie asked Squirrel.

"They're ninja monkeys," she explained, "they're Baboon's army, who'se ordered by the Valley's worst enemy, Dragon."

Skunk grinded his teeth as he watched Squirrel and Donnie together once more. Were the gods making fun of him by having his girl so close to that freak?

As the fight went on, most of the anger Skunk held was unleashed among most monkeys; only Rabbit could sense his change of character while the others just continued fighting, with the help of the turtles and their master.

"Squirrel, look out!" Donnie cried as he shoved his bo staff at an upcoming monkey who was making a lunge for Squirrel.

"Whoo, thanks," Squirrel said, rubbing her arm.

"Your arm's not hurt again, is it?" Donnie asked worriedly, placing a gentle squeeze on her arm.

"No, I'm okay," she assured him, blushing.

Skunk bashed two monkeys' heads together, a deep growl within his throat.

After the monkeys retreated, the turtles cheered in victory as of the Valley animals.

"Man, Skunk!" Raph said as he ruffled his head. "You kicked some major butt out there! Maybe when you're older you'll learn to become like the big guys!"

"I'm a big guy!" Skunk retorted angrily. Was being big what really made the ladies love you?

"Young Skunk," Panda told him, "surely you can take his humor well."

Skunk just folded his arms and muttered to himself.

"Seriously, dude," Rabbit said, looking over at a serious-looking Skunk, "what's up? You're actually becoming as tough as me."

"Stupid mutant turtle is what's up," Skunk muttered, "saw him with his arms around my girl..." The image was fresh in his mind, and his heavy heart was aching."Those two have always been together..."

"Ouch," Rabbit cringed.

"Man, I hate that guy now," Skunk grunted.

"So Mr. Mutant stole your girl," Rabbit coached, "I say you teach that guy a lesson! Show him you're not just a squirt...you're a big squirt!"

Skunk just looked at him in confusion.

Rabbit sighed before whipping something out. "Here, look at this."

"What is it?" Skunk asked as an article was placed in his hand.

"Something called a comic book," Rabbit explained. "Mikey showed it to me. Told me it features some human guy in some lame get-up. Mikey says he gets the ladies all the time."

Skunk read over the comic. It featured some superhero named Batman or whatever...he fought bad guys, looked mysterious...and ladies would swoon over his minor appearances through the background setting.

Was this what could help win Squirrel's admiration once and for all and rid of Donnie?  
_

That night, while everyone was asleep, Skunk sat inside the Valley's shelter cave. He was sewing a piece of fabric together before a roaring fire.

_I'm going to teach Donnie that I'm not a little kid_, his mind said angrily, _I'm going to prove in secret that I'm a good warrior, despite my age..._

He finished his sewing as he cut off the string.

_I am Skunk by day_..., he concluded, _and by night, I am known as..._

_...the Night Ninja!  
__

Frog hummed to himself as he hopped through the woods for a nightly patrol.

Suddenly, he heared rustling in he bushes.

"Who's there?" He said, positioning himself to fight. "I'm a mad hopper and I'll make sure you know it!"

A few ninja monkeys emerged from the bushes lunging to attack him when-

_**SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!**_

Fruit was thrown at the monkeys, frightening them before they ran off into the bushes.

"Aw, I didn't get to fight," Frog muttered to himself, "who helped me?"

"Just your friendly neighbor ninja the Night Ninja!"

Following that voice, Frog looked up at a tree to see a quick glimpse of a figure dressed in what appeared to be white all over.

The face was covered, but Frog thought the eyes seemed a bit familiar...

Then the mysterious figure scurried off into the night after giving off a friendly salute.

"Oh my gosh!" Frog cried. "I got to tell Panda and the others!"  
_

**_If you've seen the 2007 TMNT movie, my idea for Skunk becoming the Night Ninja was inspired by Raph as the Night Watcher in the movie. :D_**


End file.
